A Lover's Grief
by Katia0203
Summary: This little one chapter story is about a woman's pain when she hears word of her lover, Boromir's, death.


A/N: Hello there readers. It is a little bit AU since we know that Boromir's body is not actually recovered but floats down the river and continues to the sea.

A/N#2: This was originally posted in 2004, but I reread it today and decided to make a few changes and repost it. If you enjoyed it the first time, take some time to read it again and let me know what you think. If you are reading it for the first time, still let me know what you think

Telemnya walked over to her open balcony, where the wind was blowing softly through the open window, and the cool night air refreshed her spirits. She looked up into the amazing collage of stars above her head.

Her thoughts strayed to her betrothed, the one whom she loved more than life itself. "I wonder if he is looking at these same stars."

A smile adorned her face when she remembered their first kiss. It was the most pure and amazing event in her whole life. It had felt so...so right. So perfect. They had been standing in a moonlight just like this...

"Today was wonderful Boromir. Probably the best day I have had in a long while," Telemnya said, a brilliant smile on her face.

"I enjoyed it as well Telemnya. I never knew you could sword fight like that!"

Telemnya laughed. "You know you just let me win! I am really not that good if it all came down to it, and I needed to defend myself."

"Well I thought you did very well for your first time," Boromir said, a smile also forming on his cheerful face.

They sat down on a stone bench in the gardens.

"The view is so...beautiful. I never tire of it, despite the years I have lived here," Telemnya said in slight awe. The stars twinkled brightly, almost like they were winking at the two of them.

"I think my eyes have seen much more beauty," Boromir said, gazing at her.

Telemnya turned towards him, sensing his gaze. A blush crept onto her cheeks, and she was unable to look away.

"Boromir I ..."

"Shhh ..." Boromir whispered, placing his finger upon her lips. He slowly tipped her chin up to look into her sparlking blue eyes.

They both leaned in slightly, and then a little more. She could feel his breath on her cheeks; feel how close he was ...

And then he kissed her. The butterflies in her stomach fluttered as his lips softly caressed hers. She slowly placed her arms around his neck, and he ran his hand through her silky brown hair.

After what only felt like a moment, and yet a lifetime, he gently raised his head from hers. When Telemnya looked into his eyes, she could see the love that filled their jade depths. She turned around and leaned her back into his warm chest, feeling the warmth and comfort it held. They stayed that way for a long while; her leaning on him while he gently stroked her hair. Nothing needed to be said. Words were not needed to complete the moment that the two shared, and the bond they had formed.

Telemnya was shaken out of her memory when her handmaid knocked urgently on her door. "Telemnya, are you awake?"

"Yes, come in Adelyen," she softly called, wondering why on earth she would be knocking at this late hour.

Adelyen entered quickly. "Lord Faramir wishes to see you milady. He said it was urgent."

Worry veiled her face instantly. "Did he say what was the matter?"

Adelyen shook her head. "No, he just said you needed to come quickly."

Telemnya quickly threw on her robe and raced down the halls into the main hall.

When she entered, she instantly began to worry. Tears were sliding down Faramir's face, and Denethor was shaking with sobs.

She rushed over to Faramir. "Faramir, what is the matter? What has happened?" she asked, afraid to hear the reply.

Faramir slowly lifted his head and looked into her eyes. Intense grief filled their brown depths. "Boromir..."

Panic immediately started coursing through her veins. "What about Boromir? Faramir, what has happened?"

"He...he is dead," Faramir croaked, his voice cracking. In his hands he held the Horn of Gondor, cloven in two.

Disbelief struck first. "Are you certain? How can you know this? He is off traveling on his quest!," Telemnya said quietly, but with urgency. "All you have as proof is his Horn, am I right?"

Faramir shook his head and painfully continued, "I found his body floating in an Elven boat down the river. In his hands was his sword ... and the Horn was on his right side."

Next came denial. "He can't be dead! He promised me he would return for me!" she cried, sinking to her knees.

Then finally the grief impaled her heart like the arrows that pierced Boromir's chest, although she did not know how he had died. Her body wracked with sobs, and her heart was torn into pieces with her pain.

"No... he promised me ...we were to be wed ...and have children!" she sobbed.

Faramir kneeled down with her and embraced her. They shared their pain together, and it could be felt the instant anyone entered the hall.

Later that night, she was allowed to see his body before it was put into the tomb. When she approached him, she saw that the life that he had always held in his eyes was gone, and the warmth of his skin had been replaced with a startling cold.

She sat down in a chair next to him and gently stroked his hair, tears again coursing down her cheeks like rivers. All that they had planned for their future was shattered. Their new life together had been snatched away from them at the cruel hands of death.

"Why him? Why did you take the one man who meant the most to me? The one whom I loved more than life itself? Why Boromir!" she attempted to yell, but it came out in a strangled whisper.

All of the times they had spent together came flooding back to her. When they had first met, the friendship they had forged, the amusing pranks they had pulled, growing up, their first kiss, the countless outings he had taken her on, his proposal, everything. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it gently, as if her gentle touch could somehow restore life into him.

"Do you remember the time when we played that joke on Faramir?" Telemnya whispered. "The look on his face had been hysterical. Water was everywhere, and when the sentries and handservents and cooks even your father came rushing in, it looked like he had caused the mess! Faramir told on us, and we were scolded severely that day. Do you remember how long it took us to mop the whole dining hall?" she continued, smiling through her tears.

She continued to whisper these memories to him throughout the night, and as the sun rose, she finally kissed his forehead and cold lips.

"Good bye Boromir. You are always with me, my love. I will never forget you, and how you have blessed my life with such joy and love that can never be replaced with another's. Remember me as you rest in the Halls of Mandos, and watch over me as I continue living and thinking of you." Tears once more welled up in her eyes.

"I love you."

(3 weeks later)  
Faramir softly knocked on Telemnya's door. He didn't expect her to answer, since she really hadn't since Boromir's death.

Despite her farewell to Boromir that had seemed to bring her closure, things had deteriorated over the past few weeks. She had become withdrawn, only leaving her quarters for mealtimes and sometimes not even that.

He slowly opened her door to reveal the dim room. The curtains were pulled, and just a few candles were lit.

Telemnya's small body was laying in her bed, next to a tray of food that had been barely touched. She was staring off into nothing; her face vacant in the constant grief she felt.

"Sister, I am worried about you," Faramir started off.

"I am not your sister Faramir, remember? I never married your brother." Her voice was monotone and very faint.

Faramir did not know how to respond to this, so he put the focus back on her, "You have eaten barely anything, and keep yourself in this room far too long. You know that Boromir would not wish for you to live like this."

Slowly she turned her head towards him, the constant tears once again staining her cheeks. "How can you just accept this?" Telemnya whispered, so softly that Faramir barely caught the words. "How can the grief be gone from your heart?

"I still miss Boromir, and the pain is still there, but I cannot spend all of my time dwelling on what has happened. It would be all too easy to allow myself to drown in my grief, but that is not a healthy way to cope," Faramir said firmly. "You need to try to overcome this and live. Like I said, Boromir would not want this of you my sister."

A spark of fury lit up her eyes. "How would you know what Boromir would want me to do?" she said icily. "And I am not your sister!"

Anger started to build up in Faramir, but he supressed it and kept his voice level, "Because he is my brother, and I know that he would not have you dwelling in silence, pain, doubt, and hopelessness. He would want you to smile again, and walk through the gardens, and eat with people who love and care for you and are going through the same pain."

"But he is...gone, and he is never coming back. I just cannot seem to find the will to live now that he is forever bereft from my life. My heart feels empty and broken. What is there to live for?" Telemnya said sadly.

Alarmed, Faramir continued, "You have family and friends that hate to see you in this constant pain. They want to help you, Telemnya. I care too much for you to see you diminish, and when I look at you in this intense grief, it causes me pain. Can you not see? I cannot take it, and neither can anyone else. In time, it will slowly but surely mend. Yes, it will take a while. But you must let it happen. If you constantly dwell over what you could have done to change things, or how you could have stopped him, you will not heal." Faramir sighed. "Please Telemnya. Come with me and we can get through this together. Do not bear this weight alone."

Telemnya thought over the words that Faramir had just spoken. He was right: she did feel like she was carrying the pain alone, and she had only felt worse since she had shut herself up here. Yes, maybe Faramir could help her out.

The faintest of smiles adorned her face. "All right, I'll come," is what she said simply.

Faramir sighed in relief and helped her out of bed. He left the room as she changed, thinking over what had just happened. "I am glad I finally convinced her…Boromir would be happy, I think," He said softly to himself.

Her door opened, revealing Telemnya. Though she still looked frail, she attempted a small smile. Faramir hoped that he could help her, and that she could carry on and let go of her grief. He knew it was hard. He struggled with it almost every day. But he did what Boromir would've wanted, and that was to live life to the fullest, and find the joy in each day. Yes, times were difficult with the War and its many problems, but for every dark thing there is light to outshine it.

Faramir linked his arm through hers, and he felt a peace settle upon them. Things would be all right after all.


End file.
